Amplifiers for 3.7i, what's your suggestion?

jadis · Aug 10, 2017

KeithR said:
I recently heard Maggie's on top line Mac gear which was a good match. That said, I'd get ARC Ref 250s to drive a pair if I ever bought them. ARC still uses Magnepan to design gears.

I just heard a pair of 3.7i's with Mac amp and pre-amp and a Mac acting as music server fed into an old ML Dac. Sound is what i expected and more! More refined, more dynamics (Telarc and demo tracks sailed without strain), and as usual, very 3D with an even more amazing disappearing act.

joeinid · Aug 10, 2017

Hi,

Any chance you remember the McIntosh amp model number?

jadis said:
I just heard a pair of 3.7i's with Mac amp and pre-amp and a Mac acting as music server fed into an old ML Dac. Sound is what i expected and more! More refined, more dynamics (Telarc and demo tracks sailed without strain), and as usual, very 3D with an even more amazing disappearing act.

jadis · Aug 10, 2017

joeinid said:
Hi,

Any chance you remember the McIntosh amp model number?

I'll try to find out.

jadis · Aug 11, 2017

I think the amp is a pair of 400 watts tube mono blocks and the pre amp is a C 1000

joeinid · Aug 11, 2017

Thank you very much.

bonzo75 · Aug 11, 2017

Guys, do you think amps with too much grip have less bass on the Maggie, and it needs power but a bit loose so that the panels can move for the bass?

jadis · Aug 11, 2017

joeinid said:
Thank you very much.

Anytime, Joe.

twitch · Aug 11, 2017

buy a nice used PASS x350.5 and call it a day .........

CGabriel · Aug 11, 2017

The obvious choices are Parasound, Bryston and Pass Labs.
However, you might consider the Devialet.
Incredible power and control of the Maggie's.

They are dirt cheap used right now and can be upgraded to as much as 1000 watts per channel.
And you get a preamp, streamer and DAC built in.

microstrip · Aug 11, 2017

CGabriel said:
The obvious choices are Parasound, Bryston and Pass Labs.
However, you might consider the Devialet.
Incredible power and control of the Maggie's.

They are dirt cheap used right now and can be upgraded to as much as 1000 watts per channel.
And you get a preamp, streamer and DAC built in.

I would not buy an old model - IMHO the sonic difference between it and the last version is enormous. And I think that the nice upgrade cost was only for first owners during a limited time - better checking with the distributor. A pair of 440 pro's sounded great with the SoundLab's. Caelin did not tell you, but the Shunyata Alpha NR power cable is a must for a Devialet system!

CGabriel · Aug 11, 2017

I have the original Premier and just bought a second one for about $3200. I will be upgrading both to a PRO 1000 in October. I have also seen several 440s for sale at very reasonable prices. The US and Canadian dealers are dumping them because Devialet is now setting up direct sales distribution. At least that is what I have been told.

twitch · Aug 11, 2017

bonzo75 said:
Guys, do you think amps with too much grip have less bass on the Maggie, and it needs power but a bit loose so that the panels can move for the bass?

No ..... just the opposite.......high current / stable amplification is what they want. I've owned planer / stats for 35 plus years. The best SS rule ...............

bonzo75 · Aug 11, 2017

twitch said:
No ..... just the opposite.......high current / stable amplification is what they want. I've owned planer / stats for 35 plus years. The best SS rule ...............

I am not asking about current and power.

KeithR · Aug 11, 2017

joeinid said:
Hi,

Any chance you remember the McIntosh amp model number?

Joe- think I heard C1000/MC601s in my demo.

joeinid · Aug 12, 2017

Thank you Keith. Maggies and McIntosh seem to be a pretty popular pairing.

KeithR said:
Joe- think I heard C1000/MC601s in my demo.

twitch · Aug 12, 2017

bonzo75 said:
I am not asking about current and power.

???? really ??? ......what do you think are the two most important qualifiers for Maggies ??

bonzo75 · Aug 12, 2017

twitch said:
???? really ??? ......what do you think are the two most important qualifiers for Maggies ??

I am not denying those two. I am asking about a completely different attribute, grip

CGabriel · Aug 12, 2017

It seems to me that speakers like the Maggie - having a large radiating area - benefit by amplifiers that can effective control the panels and it's back EM wave. I have appreciated the Maggie's with good high power tube amplifiers like the Audio Research but it was more for the mid to treble qualities. Not so much the mid-bass and down. Which tends to be 'spread out' leading to a sound quality that call warm or rich. I find it diffuse and in the worst case muddy.

The Devialet which has something like an 8000 dampening factor have an iron grip on the Maggie's bass panels. The sense of PRaT is superior and the bass 'seems' more powerful probably because the bass energy is delivered quickly - with more precision. More coherent if you will.

bonzo75 · Aug 12, 2017

CGabriel said:
It seems to me that speakers like the Maggie - having a large radiating area - benefit by amplifiers that can effective control the panels and it's back EM wave. I have appreciated the Maggie's with good high power tube amplifiers like the Audio Research but it was more for the mid to treble qualities. Not so much the mid-bass and down. Which tends to be 'spread out' leading to a sound quality that call warm or rich. I find it diffuse and in the worst case muddy.

The Devialet which has something like an 8000 dampening factor have an iron grip on the Maggie's bass panels. The sense of PRaT is superior and the bass 'seems' more powerful probably because the bass energy is delivered quickly - with more precision. More coherent if you will.

Ok thanks. Joel of 6 moons thought the other way, hence my question

CGabriel · Aug 12, 2017

bonzo75 said:
Ok thanks. Joel of 6 moons thought the other way, hence my question

I can appreciate a differing opinion. Different equipment and different priorities. My opinions are based on my in-house 20.7s and various amplifiers. FWIW I also like the Maggie's with the Constellation Centaur but that is in a different price range.

Amplifiers for 3.7i, what's your suggestion?

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